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With the final weekend of the college lacrosse season quickly approaching, we thought we’d step back from analyzing matchups or predicting games, and highlight the local players from the Bay State that’ll be competing over the next few days.

The Boston University men’s lacrosse team concluded its inaugural season with a 16-11 setback to No. 3 Duke University this afternoon in Boston. BU’s Christian Carson-Banister concluded the contest with an NCAA single-game high of 25 saves, which is also a career-high for the freshman goaltender, too. Below is the release courtesy of the BU Athletics Communication Office:

BOSTON – The Boston University men’s lacrosse program concluded its inaugural season against No. 3 Duke, and despite a career-high 25 saves from freshman Christian Carson-Banister, the Terriers dropped a 16-11 decision to the 2013 national champion on Sunday afternoon at Nickerson Field.

BU finished its first varsity season at 2-12, with both wins coming in Patriot League play. The Blue Devils improved to 13-3 and will play in the NCAA tournament. The Terriers continued a trend of playing ranked opponents tough at home, as they lost their three games to current top-20 teams this season by only a combined nine goals.

Carson-Banister was terrific in the cage, as he stopped 25 shots, an NCAA single-game high in 2014. His previous career high was 16 saves. Carson-Banister made eight saves in the first quarter and helped keep the Terriers within no more than five goals throughout the contest.

Three seniors – Kyle Lange, Emerson Rogers and Brad Sauln – were honored before the game. They are the first graduating class in program history. Both Lange and Sauln played on Sunday, while Rogers was sidelined with an injury. All three will receive their degrees later this month.

Freshman Sam Talkow had a terrific day at the X, winning a career-best 16 faceoffs and leading the Terriers with a career-high three goals. Classmates Ryan Johnston and Clay Phillips each tallied twice, while sophomore Sammy Davis also had two goals. Freshman Adam Schaal matched a program record with four assists while classmate Cal Dearth recorded a pair of assists. Redshirt freshman Sam Tenney and freshman Chad Bell each found the back of the net and freshman Craig Zebrowski provided an assist.

On defense, freshman Greg Wozniak had another strong performance, as he led the team with three caused turnovers and also collected five ground balls. Talkow led both teams with 11 ground balls, one shy of his career high. BU was edged by just one, 33-32 in the ground-ball battle, and held Duke to 0-for-5 on extra-man opportunities.

Talkow electrified the home crowd right from the opening whistle. He won the first faceoff and raced into the Duke zone before ripping a shot top corner to give the Terriers a 1-0 lead just six seconds into the proceedings. Both teams traded possessions before Johnston put the Terriers ahead, 2-0, at the 9:54 mark thanks to an assist from Death.

Duke scored the next four goals of the quarter, but Schaal fed Tenney for the redshirt freshman’s 16th goal of the season to make it a 4-3 game after 15 minutes. The Blue Devils began the second stanza with three consecutive goals before Johnston and Davis each scored to cut the Duke lead to 7-5 with 6:39 to play in the half. Duke deposited two more goals before halftime, however, to take a 9-5 lead into the break.

The Terriers scored two of the first three third-quarter goals, as Phillips and Talkow got on the board six seconds apart to chase Duke goalkeeper Luke Aaron (four saves) from the contest in favor of Kyle Turri (six saves). After a Blue Devil goal made it an 11-7 game, Phillips and Talkow again combined to score two straight, the second of which completed Talkow’s hat trick and cut the Duke advantage to 11-9.

That was as close as the Terriers got, however, as Josh Dionne rattled off three straight tallies to give the Blue Devils a 14-9 lead. Davis and Bell each scored to bring BU within three at 14-11 with 3:43 remaining in regulation, but the Blue Devils sealed the game with two goals.

There were a variety of local teams competing this past weekend in baseball, softball and lacrosse NCAA tournaments, and below are a few highlights and notes.

* Endicott College’s run toward the NCAA Division III World Series ended with a 9-0 setback to Southern Maine on Sunday. The Gulls set a program record with 35 wins this season, as well as won their first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title since 2006.

* Endicott won three of their first New England Regional games against Saint Joseph’s (ME), Wheaton College and Southern Maine.

* Amherst College saw its season conclude, too, as the Lord Jeffs, who set a program record for wins, fell to Cortland in the New York Regional.

* Tufts University’s softball team will play for the Division III championship this afternoon against the winner of Cortland-Salisbury. The Jumbos haven’t lost a game in the championship bracket as they’ve defeated Texas-Tyler, Montclair State and Cortland. Tufts have only surrendered one run in all three contests, too.

* Finally, Westford’s David Lawson netted a game-best five goals, including the game-winner for Duke against Notre Dame in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse tournament. Lawson now has 32 goals and 15 assists for the Blue Devils this season.

Happy Saturday to everyone! In honor of another gorgeous day in Massachusetts, we’ve decided to provide a list of great lacrosse games to attend this afternoon.

Make sure to circle back later this evening for recaps, roundups and releases.

Men’s Lacrosse:

* No. 2 Cornell at Harvard, 1 p.m. — This is a big game for the Crimson, who almost defeated Duke last weekend. Cornell will provide challenges for Harvard’s defense as the attacks and midfielders for the Big Red can dodge and slide quite well. Harvard will need to stop Rob Pannell, who is the nation’s third leading scorer (5.4 points per game).

* UMass at Towson, 1 p.m. — The Minutemen’s offense has been suspect this season, but in an important conference match it’ll be important for them to locate the back of the net.

* Williams at No. 4 Tufts, 1 p.m. — The Jumbos enter today’s tilt on a six-game winning streak, while the Ephs are coming off a tough quadruple overtime setback to Bowdoin.

* Middlebury at Amherst, 2 p.m. — This is a big one for the Lord Jeffs, who snapped their three-game skid last weekend with a victory against Hamilton. The Panthers, who’re 7-1, started the current month with a 16-8 victory against New England College.

Women’s Lacrosse:

* Navy at Holy Cross, 12 p.m. — The Crusaders have done quite well in Patriot League play. Yet, can they improve their mark to 3-1 against Navy?

* No. 9 Stonehill at No. 7 Le Moyne, 12 p.m. — The Skyhawks picked up their seventh win on Wednesday and will attempt to conclude their three-game road trip with a win against the Dolphins.

* So. Conn. State at No. 12 Bentley, 12 p.m. – The Falcons defeated AIC on Wednesday, 16-2, which snapped a two-game skid. Can they carry that momentum into this afternoon’s contest against the Owls?

* BU at Vermont, 1 p.m. — The Terriers haven’t won a game away from Nickerson Field this season, so a victory against their America East foe would be huge.

* Duke at BC, 1 p.m. — This is another big game for the Eagles, who defeated Virginia last weekend, 10-7. Duke enters the contest on a one-game losing streak as the Blue Devils lost to North Carolina last Thursday in overtime.

* No. 10 Amherst at No. 3 Middlebury, 1:30 p.m. — Could the Lord Jeffs pull an upset against the third best team in the land? Amherst is 1-1 against Middlebury in the past two seasons, but the Panthers defeated the Lord Jeffs last season, 8-5.

Due to the Blizzard of 2013, numerous college basketball games were postponed to Sunday afternoon and evening. And below is a quick roundup from the various conference tilts.

Men’s Basketball:

Columbia 78, Harvard 63– The Crimson saw their four-game winning streak conclude, as the Lions outscored the visitors, 40-29 during the second stanza, which earned them their first win against Harvard in their last eight meetings. Harvard’s Wesley Saunders netted a career-best 27 points in the setback.

Duke 62, Boston College 61 – Despite being tied at 27 after one session, the Blue Devils managed to tally an additional point in the second, which lifted them past the Eagles in Chestnut Hill. BC’s Olivier Hanlan tallied a game-high 20 points in the win, while Ryan Anderson finished with 17 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Southern New Hampshire 85, UMass Lowell 73 – The River Hawks were no match for their opponent; as the Penmen outscored the hosts, 51-33 during the final stanza to secure their 13th overall win of the season. Akeem Williams, who finished the contest with a game-high 24 points, paced UMass Lowell in the setback.

Amherst College 65, Williams College 48 – Allen Williamson recorded 16 points, Aaron Toomey netted 14 points and Willy Workman added 13 points, as the visiting Lord Jeffs topped the Ephs for the second time this season. Williams’ Michael Mayer led all scorers with a game-high 17 points.

Case Western Reserve 56, Brandeis University 46 – The Judges couldn’t overcome an eight-point deficit at the break, as the Spartans handed their conference foe their sixth loss of the season. Brandeis’ Youri Dascy led all players with 16 points, while Gabriel Moton recorded 12 points.

Bentley University 61, St. Anselm 21 – The Falcons picked up their 21st win of the season, as well as held the Hawks to just eight points in the second half. Courtney Finn led all scorers with 13 points, while Jacqui Brugliera and Kelsey Roberson each netted 11 points.

Stonehill College 67, Merrimack College 55 – The Skyhawks snapped their one-game skid by earning their 18th overall win of the season. Stonehill’s Tori Faieta led all scorers with 17 points, while Asia Ewing and Mary Louise Dixon tallied 16 points, respectively. Shelby Secor, who registered 11 points, led Merrimack.

Williams College 71, Amherst College 51 – Claire Baecher filled the stat sheet with 30 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, as well as one assist and one steal, which helped the Ephs defeat the Lord Jeffs in Williamstown.

Babson College 73, Smith College 52 – The Beavers sank 30 of 50 shots from the field and received 22 points and 15 rebounds from Sarah Collins, as Babson defeated Smith College for the second time this season. Paulina Solis led the Pioneers with 17 points off the bench.

Framingham State 74, MCLA 63 – Madeleine Park reached the 1,000-point plateau on a three-pointer at the beginning of the game, as well as finished with 17 points, which helped the Rams get past the Trailblazers. Samantha Irvine led Framingham State with 18 points and 11 boards.

Happy Thursday to everyone, and welcome into yet another grand edition of the Daily Noontime. Here are some headlines and news to kick-start the day!

* The Buffalo Sabres walloped the Boston Bruins on Wednesday evening, 6-0 in upstate New York. Both Tuukka Raskand Tim Thomassurrendered three goals, as well as combined for 23 saves, while Boston’s offense tallied 36 shots on Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller. Also, this was the second time in February that the Bruins have finished the game with a “goose egg” on the scoreboard. Boston will look to rebound on Saturday when they host Nashville for a 1:00pm face-off.

* Boston College’s men’s basketball team stunned No. 17 Florida State on Wednesday in Chestnut Hill, as they overcame a slow start to defeat the Seminoles, 64-60. Freshman Jordan Danielsled the Eagles with 21 points, as well as provided four trifectas and five assists. The Eagles are now 8-16 overall, and 3-7 in ACC play.

* The Boston Celtics will look to continue their winning ways on Thursday when they host the Los Angles Lakers for an 8:00pm tip-off. The Green and White are currently riding a five-game winning streak, while the Lakers have lost two of their last three contests.

The Rams have made it this far, so why exactly would their journey end Saturday against Butler?

By Stacey Kilpatrick

It’s the angry Butler Bulldogs and the ferocious Virginia Commonwealth Rams vying for a spot in the NCAA Championship finals. No one suspected an 8-seed and an 11-seed to be playing for the coveted chance. Not a person. Maybe those teams who were a 4 or 5 seed, but an 8 and 11 in the Horizon and the Colonial Conferences? No way!

No Atlantic 10, no ACC, no Big 12, no PAC 10, no Big Ten; the Horizon and the CAA. It’s a “Cinderella” run as many call it, but should #8 Butler and #11 VCU even have the opportunity to play for this title?

With this being the first EVER run where an 8-or-higher-seed is in the final four, it’s certainly grabbed a lot of attention. And since Butler fell to Duke last year in the Championship, with then-Bulldog Gordon Hayward narrowly missing the half court last-second shot, I’m sure the competition will be even heavier on April 2 at extreme ends; those crossing their foam fingers for the deprived to reign, and those shaking their heads and running their mouths, wanting the Bulldogs to fall once more.

Both teams have had exciting tournaments so far, but how do they stack up statistically?

Butler finished [27-9] overall and [13-5] in the Horizon. They held their breaths in the final seconds of two games. On March 17, Butler beat #9 Old Dominion, 60-58, after Matt Howard tipped in the game-winner at the buzzer. Two nights later, Howard’s free throw with 0:01 remaining put the team up, 71-70 over top-seeded Pittsburgh, ultimately knocking the Panthers out. In the Sweet 16 the Bulldogs beat #4 Wisconsin 61-54 and during Elite Eight play they booted the #2 Florida Gators 74-71 in overtime.

The Rams went [28-11] overall and [12-6] in the Colonial. In third round play, they upset #3 Purdue 94-76, securing their first visit to the Sweet 16. Bradford Burgess put VCU up, 72-71 with 6-seconds left in overtime against #10 Florida State, and when Chris Singleton couldn’t put down two points for the Seminoles with 0:02 remaining, the Rams won.

But the most shocking was when, I’ll say it again, #11 VCU upset #1 Kansas 71-61 on March 27. The Rams were up, 41-27 at the half and during the game they shot 48.0% from beyond the arc compared to the Jayhawks’ uncharacteristic and embarrassing 9.5%.

VCU is a team that, in contrast ranks 99th overall in points per game to Kansas’ 5th, 301st in rebounds to Kansas’ 19th, 83rd in assists to Kansas’ 2nd and 180th in field goal percentage to Kansas’…1st.

How, how, how did the Rams beat the Jayhawks and make it to the Final Four? They must have ridden in a pumpkin instead of a team bus and substituted fairy godmother dust over Gatorade.

With VCU’s push, it seems as if they can outlast Butler. But Butler did pull upsets of their own and they’re back again dribbling for victory that was so closely in their sweaty, calloused hands last year.

Sadly, Duke fell short to Arizona, which most likely "busted" March Madness brackets!

By Matt Noonan

Take a look at your March Madness bracket, how does it look? Do you have a lot of teams, such as Duke, BYU and maybe San Diego State crossed off?

How about all those who picked Rick Pitino to lead Louisville to the “Sweet Sixteen” or “Final Four,” how do you feel today?

Also, I do need to spark some controversy, so how is everyone doing in Kentucky on this wonderful Friday morning? Are you excited for the Wildcats to take on Ohio State on Friday? Will John Calipari lead his group of young men onto the elite eight?

Well, allow me to be the first to admit that once again, my bracket is officially busted, again. I had Duke repeating their exciting run from last year, but now, my favorite piece of paper from the past few days has gone out with the kitchen trash and I have officially begun the countdown for the MLB season, yet, how much baseball can I endure during the first week?

What makes March Madness so enjoyable is that every year, millions of people, no matter whether they are college basketball die-hards, co-workers or friends and family, take just a few minutes or possibly, hours, to fill out a bracket.

Even President Barack Obama has continuously shown his support for the tournament, both the men’s and women’s might I add, by filling out a bracket and allowing ESPN an all-access pass into the white house to hear what the chief and commander of America has to say about the tournament.

People like myself, Obama and even, Snoop Dogg, may not always enjoy watching our picks or predictions slip away, but what we do enjoy the most is a great game of basketball. So far, a majority of the games have been enthralling.

Who doesn’t enjoy a late three-pointer to win the game? Aren’t you a fan of a Matt Howard rebound and layup for Butler? Don’t you want to see free throws down the stretch win games?

Besides, we all know that sports fans, especially college basketball followers live for these exciting and exuberant moments.

All in all, while my bracket is indeed busted, there is always hope that one-day, I, along with all of those who picked the various games wrong, will be able to stand up and cheer after the championship is complete and say, “My bracket didn’t get busted!”

Until that day comes, I might as well sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of this college tournament.

Also, since Duke has officially been eliminated, I’ll be rooting for Jim Calhoun’s bunch, the University of Connecticut Huskies to win another NCAA Division I championship.